Feral
by Matrineal
Summary: Rufus gets a Panther Kitten from an unknown person, but will it change him for the better or worse? Please R&R! XD This might be the coming of my frist love triangle fanfic...
1. The Gift From Reno

**A/N: OMG... This is my 4th story for FFVII!!! Wow... I didn't know I had it in me to write a fourth for this game. It's really got a lot to it! XD Anywayz, to the people that read this. It can be seen as a sequel to Disasters or if you choose, it can be a stand alone. XD The chapters are kinda short, mainly because I wanted it that way LOL! Please review! LOVE YA! And as normal, I hope I kept the characters IC... also that there isn't another one like this, if there is... I would be so sad... :( **

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Disclaimer: Here we go again… dude… this is old. I don't own FFVII!!! Nor the characters. ¿Intiende?

Feral

Chapter 1: The Gift From Reno...

Reno was walking through the lab of the new Shinra building, looking at all the weird things the new scientist had going on. Not really caring about anything, until something made him stop. It was small, black, furry with rounded ears and inside a tank. Reno took a closer look at the creature with interest, then ran out of the lab.

"Elena! I need to show you something!" Reno insisted. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"It better not be how you managed to make the sprinkler system shoot out silly string, Reno. Or any other prank you have up your skinny sleeve."

"It's not, I swear. Just come with me!" He grabbed her by the hand and dragged her down to the lab.

"Reno, I have files I need to fill-" She stopped when he placed the blond in front of the tank.

"Tell me what this is." He demanded, pointing at the small furry thing.

"It's a cat. I think... Reno why are you showing me this?" Elena asked getting upset because she hated seeing animals used for experimentation. Reno shrugged. Elena turned back to the small panther.

"It doesn't deserve this..." She muttered, then left the lab and Reno. He examined the said cat more, before leaving to retrieve his EMR. Rude noticed his friend acting odd that day. No pranks. Which was weird for the redhead Turk that normally pulled 5 pranks everyday.

"What's with you, Reno...?" The brooding Turk asked his companion at lunch. Reno sighed.

"I think I upset Elena, yo."

"How?"

" I saw something in the lab and showed her. She said it was a cat..." Rude stiffened.

"I think I should get it out... Before they do some creepy experiments on it, yo"

"Should we tell president Shinra?" Rude asked harshly. Reno leaned on his fist.

"Not yet. I want to get it out first. Before Elena cries."

"When are you going?"

"Tonight." Reno stated flatly. The rest of the day passed by slowly as the only thing on Reno's mind was the cat inside the tank. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to see it out of there.

That night, Reno snuck down to the lab with his EMR to disable the device and drain the fluid from the tank. He picked up the small wet cat and left the lab with it in his arms.

"What should we do with it, yo?" Reno asked Elena the next morning, sitting on her office floor, watching the baby panther crawl around with its eyes closed.

"Rufus lost Dark Nation 3 years ago..." She trailed off picking up the kitten and cuddling it.

"Give it to Rufus?!"

"Well... yeah... Besides, who can turn down this cute little thing?" Elena asked kissing its nose.

"Someone named Rufus Shinra. Who has a heart of steel and ice." Reno pointed out.

"Oh, Reno. If Rufus had Dark Nation, then he must have a heart somewhere in that chest cavity of his."

"Replace it with a ball of ice, and you have yourself President Rufus Shinra. Head of Shinra Inc." He continued in an announcer tone of voice.

Elena sighed heavily.

"I'm sure he's not that cold, Reno."

"You haven't spent enough time around him, 'Lena. That man is like Mr. Steel."

"Just give it to him, Reno. Rufus will appreciate it in the long run." Elena suggested, holding out the protesting kitten for Reno to take. He took it up in his arms, as it calmed down and sighed heavily.

"Fine. I'll give it to him. Maybe it'll be better than leaving it in the streets of Midgar."

"Definitely. Good luck." Reno walked down the hall, subconsciously petting the panther on his way to Rufus' office. Luckily, Rufus wasn't in his office at the moment, so Reno placed the sleeping feline on his desk, then left. A few minutes later, Rufus walked into his office with a few files, then noticed the black fluffy thing on his desk moving to the edge. By instinct, he dropped the files and picked up the baby panther, saving it from becoming fatally injured.

He studied the crying fluff ball in his arms and sat down in an armchair in front of his desk.

"Who left you here...?" He asked the panther, who was curled in his lap now and asleep. Rufus leaned on the armrest, remembering Dark Nation. This one was still a baby, Rufus had gotten Dark Nation when he was already full grown. The truth was, he sometimes missed his panther that Cloud killed ruthlessly. Was fate giving him a second chance, like it did with his survival? He could only hope, as Rufus' fingers ran through the velvety fur of the infant panther. Rufus decided to keep this a secret from everyone. If anyone knew he had a soft side, he would be doomed to obscurity.


	2. Helping Rufus

**A/N: Im sorry it took me so long to update. I've been away from my house for days without end, runing to the hospital in the closest city and back. X.X So here's the next chapter you all have been patiently waiting for XD Anywayz, I just beat Rosso the Crimson in DOC and am now in the Shinra building! I'm glad that the layout for that place and the Shinra Manor is almost the same as in the World Crisis game so I don't get lost XD The graphics in that game ROCK!!! Please review XD LOVE YA!!!**

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Disclaimer: I don't own it!

Feral

Chapter 2: Helping Rufus

Rufus woke up at 5:30 a.m. to the baby panther crying somewhere in his room. He climbed out of bed in search for the black fluff ball, finding it curled under his bed and crying for its mother, when he had made a bed for it in an empty drawer of a chest he owned.

"Come here..." Rufus reached under the bed, pulling the baby panther out gently and cradling it. Overnight, he had become attached to it, since it was left on his desk the day before. However, the kitten wouldn't stop crying and he figured that the kitten must be hungry. Problem was, Rufus wasn't married and definitely had no children. His only option was to call a woman who would know what to do. The only one he could think of was Elena.

An annoying sound rattled her awake from the dream she was having about she and Tseng being on a mission together, since Elena was stuck in the office on paper duty, she wanted nothing more than to be on the field again. The phone rang without end after she wasted a perfectly good pillow to throw at it and make it shut up. It continued to ring, as she reached over her overstuffed comforter and answered.

"Hello?" She asked half asleep.

"Elena. I know it's early, but I need you to do something for me." Rufus said over the line, making her sit up in slight shock that her boss would be calling her at home.

"Uhm... sure. What is it...?"

Rufus held the phone down to the crying kitten, then brought it back up to his ear.

"... I need help..."

The words were plain and simple, but so hard to say. Rufus Shinra never admitted that he needed help. He just wasn't that type of person. Elena struggled not to giggle at how chocked up he sounded.

"I'll be there in 10 minutes. He's hungry." She said, then hung up and jumped out of bed to get dressed and head to the store quickly. Rufus meanwhile, sat on the living room floor with the baby panther, watching it crawl around, before deciding he should be getting dressed as well. He scooped the kitten up and headed to his room to change. Ten minutes later, Elena was standing on Rufus' doorstep, with a bag of baby formula and a bottle. Rufus answered the door, letting Elena step inside.

"What's that?" He asked as Elena walked to the kitchen.

"Baby formula, sir. The kitten has to eat." She said, opening the canister and tearing the bottle from its shell prison. Rufus watched her mix the formula in a pitcher, then pour it into a bottle. He leaned on the counter, as Elena fed the protesting kitten, who quickly quieted down nd wrapped his paws around the bottle.

Rufus followed her to the living room, where Elena took a seat on the floor with the kitten. He followed suit, trying to think up something to say, but nothing would come.

"When do you think he'll open his eyes?" Rufus asked leaning on his elbow. It was a first to see either of them dressed casually, as well as have a normal conversation, just as 2 people and not as employer and employee. Elena shrugged.

"It could be a week or 2, or tomorrow or a few days. Hard to say. When he's ready, I guess." Meanwhile, she was thinking;

(Is this really Rufus Shinra?! I am so going to get Reno on this one!)

The 2 sat in an awkward silence for a few minutes before the panther had enough of the bottle and began kicking at it.

Elena set the bottle off to the side and set the kitten on the floor, where it began crawling between herself and Rufus.

"He's gotten bigger since yesterday..." Elena muttered, watching the kitten clamber onto Rufus' lap and curl up to sleep.

"What do you mean?" He asked, as the information suddenly registered to both of them. Elena looked up surprised. She blew it. It was clear. She pursed her lips together tightly, gripping her jeans.

"Elena, is there something I should know?"

Damn, how she hated to be interrogated, especially by Tseng. Now she knew how he got his military tone and actions, when he lectured her the other night about the very same matter. Because she had brought the kitten home and Tseng wasn't pleased.

"Elena, I'm waiting." Rufus said, becoming impatient. She let out a sigh, after holding her breath.

"Okay...there is, sir. I'm sorry..."

"Mind explaining to me? And you don't have to address me formally when we're not in office. It's Saturday." Rufus said calmly.

"Okay... Renowasinthelabthedaybeforeyestereday,hesawsomethinganddraggedmetogoseeit. Itoldhimitwasacatorsomethingandsaiditdidn'tdeservethisandwentbacktomyoffice. Thenlaterthatnight,Renowaentbacktothelabandfreeditfromthetank,bringingitbacktomeandIbroughtithome. Thenextday,TsengandIbroughtitbacktotheoffice. SoRenoandIweretryingtodecidewhattodowiththepoorkitten, whenIsuggestedgivingittoyou,heflipped. IfinallyconvincedhimtogiveyouthekittenbecauseyoulostDarkNationandIthoughtitwouldbenice. Please don't fire me..." Elena explained quickly, in a panic. Getting it all out and taking a breath afterwords.

Rufus looked down to the kitten sitting in his lap, then up to Elena.

"I won't fire you, Elena. But why give such a young kitten to me, when it was you and Reno who rescued it?"

"Because...if it was with you, then the lab wouldn't be able to touch it... I don't like animals being injected with Mako and Jenova cells...It's disgusting..." She said quietly, rubbing her arms as a source of comfort. While Rufus was subconsciously petting the velvety fur of the panther. He sighed heavily.

"Does anyone else know about the panther besides you, Tseng and Reno?"

Elena pondered.

"Rude might through Reno. But that's all."

"Good. I want to keep it that way for the time being, until he gets older." Rufus stated.

"What should his name be?" Elena asked, situating herself more comfortably on the floor and laying down. She never knew Rufus Shinra could be so easy to talk to and understanding!

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**A/N: Please don't flame me about Elena's explination. She's speaking at a really fast pace so that's why it's like that XD **


	3. Chaos In Shinra

**A/N: HEY! I'm back with another chapter for you all! I don't have much to say about this chapter though, so just have fun with it. I do thank you to those who reviewed :) They were great! LOVE YA!!!**

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Disclaimer: I don't own FFVII nor the characters.

Feral

Chapter 3: Chaos in Shinra

Reno ran down the hallway spotting Tseng and running to hide behind him.

"Reno, what the hell are you doing?! Quit hiding behind me!" The new SOLDIER commander shot with venom.

"You gotta hide me from that cat, yo! I swear it's gone insane! It thinks my hair is a tassel and chases me down the hallways to sink its teeth into my leg and trip me!" Tseng raised an eyebrow.

"Cut-"

"NO FUCKING WAY, MAN! It took me forever to get it this long! I sure as hell ain't cutting my hair!" Reno protested just as a flash of black fur came charging down the hall with Mako green eyes and its heart set on hunting the red tassel thing and playing with it. Reno's eyes grew wide with fear, as he quickly let go of Tseng's shoulders and ran for his office, closing the door behind him. It had been 2 weeks since the panther kitten's eyes opened and it mostly saw Reno as a toy. With his flaming red hair catching its eye.

Apocalyptic Nightmare sat in front of Reno's office door, with his ears intent on listening to the noise behind the solid wood. Tail curling around 4 paws, with the tip quivering in the excitement of a grand chase. Waiting patiently for the prey to come out and play. After a while, the kitten grew bored and wandered back to Rufus' office, since Reno obviously wasn't going to come out. Rufus had to buy new furniture for his office, since A.N. had destroyed the cream colored chairs he had before. A.N. walked daintily into Rufus' office and sat on his haunches in front of his desk. Beginning to wash his face contently.

"What were you up to, A.N. ? Chasing Reno again?" The president of Shinra asked with a slight smirk, as the kitten then walked over and pounced on his desk, laying over his paperwork.

"I have to work, you know." Rufus told the kitten. A.N. looked up at him, as if saying

"So? I'm here now."

He sighed heavily, petting the panther kitten, as he kneaded Rufus' arm and purred. It didn't hurt, but A.N. was a panther, a wild animal still.

"I should get you a foam soccer ball... So you won't chew my hand to death." Rufus said thoughtfully to himself, then ended up on the floor with the playful kitten fighting with him.

"What did I say about claws?" Rufus asked, placing some pressure on the kittens nose. A.N. batted at his hand, desperate for it to teeth on. Rufus pulled his hand out of A.N.'s reach, then placed his finger on the kittens nose a second time. A.N. then batted at Rufus' arm with his back feet, latching onto his wrist with his front paws. Making kitten growls, his ears flat against his head and fighting with Rufus' hand.

"Ow, ow, ow..." He pried the panther from his hand, then reached into his desk drawer and pulled out a roll pillow for A.N. A second later, A.N. rushed off Rufus' desk and flew out of his office into the hall, keen on some scent. Leaving Rufus to rearrange his papers that were thrown in all directions, like playing 52 pick up cards. Five minutes later, Tseng knocked on his office door with a slightly amused expression.

"Yes, Tseng?" Rufus asked, gathering the last of his files. Tseng walked in, trying so hard not to laugh.

"You, might want to come see this, sir..." He managed to get out, without breaking into laughter.

"Well, it must be something, if even you can't keep a cold shoulder." Rufus stated, standing up and following the SOLDIER/Turk commander to the file room. There, on the top of a tall file cabinet, was Palmer. Desperate to get away from something. A.N. sat on the floor, licking butter off of a piece of toast.

"It'd be better if you didn't move, Palmer. Panthers are a predator and if you step close to him, he'll tear you to shreds. Because he sees you as a threat. If you're lucky, he'll eat the toast for you and stalk off. It would be wise and not move at all from your spot until A.N. has found some other distraction." Rufus explained steadily, while Tseng fought to regain his composure. Rufus turned on his heel, leaving Palmer in the file room with A.N. while Tseng followed his superior silently.

"Sir, should we really leave A.N. in the room with Palmer?" Tseng asked, catching stride with Rufus. Though he used a cane, his stride had picked up remarkably over the month of being out of a wheelchair.

"There isn't anything I can do when it comes to A.N.'s instinct as a predator. It's up to Palmer, whether he listens or not." The young president stated.

"Reno's still hiding in his office, sir. Apparently, A.N. thinks his hair is very attractive and does anything to get at it." Tseng explained as they walked down to the lounge. Finding Elena making 2 sandwiches. One with ham and cheese and the other with pepperoni, cheese, lettuce and tomato. Tseng walked up next to her, as Rufus went to get a cup of coffee. Rude was sitting at a table reading the newspaper with a cup of coffee in front of him and Rufus sat next to him.

"Anything interesting?" He asked the brooding Turk. Since the ruminant incident, nothing interesting had happened in Edge. Though they tried, the reactors in Midgar were still active after attempting to shut them down. The place was past uninhabitable, crossing the boarder of deadly radioactivity coursing through the 7 plates and sector slums of the once metropolis, now deceased.

"Nothing new, sir. They still want us to shut down the reactor in Nebelhiem. Fort Condor also wants theirs to be removed." He handed Rufus the paper.

"I'm making Reno's lunch since he's hiding from A.N." Elena explained to Tseng, as she covered the pepperoni in a layer of Tabasco sauce. Tseng raised an eyebrow at her action.

"Why are you putting Tabasco sauce on his sandwich?"

"He likes it that way. Reno asked me this morning." The blond stated, taking both sandwiches and heading to Reno's office.


	4. AN's Liking and Elena's Thoughts

**_A/N: Alright guys! I've decided to rewrite ongoing chapters from this one, so reviews would be helpful. I was searching though stories that I haven't worked on for a while, and this one was one that I saw needed improvement. So here we go! I already have an idea for chapter 5 and it involves Reno... lol! Not going to say much, though. =) _**

**_Love ya! _**

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Chapter 4: A.N.'s Liking to Elena and Her Thoughts

The blond Turk made her way up to Reno's office, which was across from her own. Until she felt _something_ press up against her leg and wrap itself around her feet. She glanced down to spot A.N. purring and rubbing his cheek against her leg, affectionately. Elena sighed, leaning down and giving the panther kitten a much wanted scratch behind his rounded ears. Despite his size and what Reno and Tseng said about the dangers of wild animals, it couldn't be helped… He was so _cute_! Reno jumped atop his desk in desperation to get away from the panther, who remained at Elena's feet when she opened the door. However, the panther was now less interested in the redhead Turk, and laid on the red carpeted floor of Reno's office, leaving black fur behind and stretched for Elena. His jaw dropped, watching the gentle Turk kneel down and pet the overgrown fluff ball. What was it about Elena that could make such a wild creature like Rufus' panther kitten, become an almost complete softy for her? Whatever it was… Would it work on their boss? What did Tseng think about it? Maybe he should ask them…

"Reno, here's your sandwich." She stood from her seat and walked over to the redhead's desk, setting down the sandwich and returned to A.N. , who was content that the pretty Turk was giving him attention.

_Now… If only he could get that tassel…. Nah! Being petted by the pretty Turk was so much better than chasing after the red tassel._

Elena laid on her stomach, burying her face into the velvety fur of the panther that happened to be growing rather quickly. He was still somewhat smaller than average for a panther, but it didn't bother her. Black paws latched onto a lock of her blond hair, chewing the strands and licking it for the taste of her shampoo.

_Mmm…honey. Maybe he could find some of that stuff around here somewhere…_ Instantly, A.N. zoomed out of Reno's office and down the hall, leaving the blond Turk in a laughing fit. She took a small wooden hairbrush from her pocket and began brushing her hair with Reno watching in amazement that she could tame a wild creature for a while. He smirked. Maybe this could work on the other wild creature… And he wasn't talking about Tseng. Elena gave him a quizzical look, wondering what had gotten into the redhead all of a sudden. First he was desperate to get away from the panther and now he was perched on his desk like Buddha… Well, he wasn't on anything. Nor was he drinking Vodka straight from the bottle, which happened to be a good thing 'cause then he wasn't hitting on her like a fool.

"Well, I'm heading out… See ya, Reno…" She said, standing from her seat on his office floor and leaving the _meditating_ Turk sitting on his desk with his legs crossed. Elena rolled her eyes, closing the door behind her when she didn't receive a response from the redhead Turk. Rufus sat in his office, all of his paperwork was finished and… He was bored. The Shin-Ra president was _bored! _Hey, there's first for everything, right? A.N. was somewhere, probably chasing some poor soul for their hamburger or something...

The panther trotted around the floors of the Shin-Ra office building, in search of that scent in _his_ Turk's hair. He wanted whatever it was, and he wasn't going to give up until he had some. A.N. stopped in his tracks, now standing in the marble floored lobby and let out a _Rawr_, before tracing back up to the Turks floor and searching for _his_ Turk.

_Maybe if he was lucky enough, she'd give him some._ The panther kitten sat infront of Elena's office door, stretched out along the floor, as if she were his new master, next in line to Rufus. He knew something though, well they didn't know it yet. Elena was preoccupied with Tseng, but A.N. wasn't very fond of the Turk commander. Nor was he afraid to show it. Rufus walked along the darkened hallway on the Turks floor during the late afterhours, and found the panther laying out infront of the oak door to Elena's office, as if he were waiting for her to get back from wherever she happened to be.

"Waiting for Elena? Best for us to go home, A.N. It's late and she won't be back until tomorrow." He watched the panther for a reaction, as the big cat, or rather, growing kitten stood from his place on the floor in silence and walked alongside Rufus at his pace. The Shin-Ra president opened the pure white/ivory car door for A.N. and he jumped in, lying down on the white leather inrerior of the back seat. Rufus rounded to the driver's seat. The drive was a little boring, mostly beacause Rufus had no one to talk to really, except the panther. However, A.N. was interested in the passing of other cars and all the bright lights that hurt his nochturnal eyes. At home, the panther kitten jumped on the soft comforter of Rufus' bed after he had already climbed in and laid his big velvety head on the Shin-Ra president's chest. As if he were protecting him from something. The pain in his chest subsided after A.N.'s lying on it for a while, wondering what was going on with himself. Hopefully this stabbing pain in his chest would never come back a second time. He was only trying to recover from the Geostigma and Metorfall two years before. Subconsciously he petted the velvety fur, listening to the deep purr, but also feeling that something was amiss. Perhaps that stabbing pain was it. Rufus sighed heavily, closing his eyes and turning off the lamp on his nightstand. It was too late to be thinking about anything now. He would sort it out in the morning. The panther let out a growl in his sleep, telling something off in his dream. But it wasn't Rufus nor Elena...

The blond Turk lay awake in the darkness of her room, next to the Turk Commander. There was too much energy in her mind to fall asleep. Mostly thinking about what she did, giving Rufus the panther kitten and hoping that it was for the better. Maybe it could melt the ice in his heart and learn to appreciate life more. Well, he's already done that after contracting Geostigma. Maybe giving him the kitten was for the better.

The blond Turk rolled onto her side, burying her face in the pillow. She gave a smile and wondered what other havoc A.N. Would make for the company. Only time will tell.


End file.
